Revegetation, restoration and reptiles in rural landscapes: Insights from long‐term monitoring programmes in the temperate eucalypt woodlands of south‐eastern Australia

Abstract

Summary Over the past decade, there has been a concerted effort to better understand the distribution and abundance of reptiles in agricultural landscapes and to specifically evaluate their response to revegetation (tree and shrub plantings) and habitat restoration in the wheat‐sheep belt of south‐eastern Australia. This article reviews the response of reptiles to revegetation and woodland management and provides ten insights and lessons that can be applied to help improve reptile conservation in temperate eucalypt woodlands and fragmented agricultural landscapes in Australia. The review focuses primarily on revegetation programmes conducted by Landcare and Greening Australia, and management interventions funded by Local Land Services in NSW and Catchment Management Authorities in Victoria.

Movement patterns of an arboreal gecko in fragmented agricultural landscapes reveal matrix avoidance

“…Intensively managed farmland may reduce cross‐habitat movements and have negative impacts on species reliant on woodland habitat. While plantings may provide habitat for some reptile species (Munro, Lindenmayer & Fischer, ; Lindenmayer et al ., ; Michael et al ., ), our results suggest plantings may not mitigate the negative effects of broader habitat loss in agricultural areas, especially for species reliant on microhabitat features associated within mature native vegetation (Cunningham et al ., ; Neilly et al ., ). Our data indicated that radio‐tracked, resident geckos did not incorporate plantings into their home ranges, and orientation and movement patterns suggest avoidance of this habitat in favour of patches.…”

“…Behavioural avoidance of farmland generally by geckos, irrespective of matrix type, may be a greater barrier to animal movement than the physical structure of differing matrix types. Our results highlight the importance of remnant native vegetation, particularly with mature microhabitat features such as large trees with exfoliating bark and dead standing trees, for preserving reptile populations in modified cropping landscapes (Brown, Bennett & Potts, ; Lindenmayer et al ., ; Michael et al ., ). Our findings also highlight the likely negative consequences of habitat loss and degradation for native biota (Prevedello & Vieira, ; Bonte et al ., ; Baguette et al ., ).…”

“…If patch‐dependent reptile species are not attracted to restored areas, novel management interventions may be required. These may include translocating animals into restored habitat, provided appropriate microhabitats are available (Christie et al ., ; Jellinek et al ., ; Michael et al ., ). Increasing leaf litter and introducing rocks, course woody debris and including mature trees as part of plantings may help improve the quality of plantings for geckos (Michael et al ., ; Neilly et al ., ).…”

“…Reptiles are sensitive to habitat loss and modification due to their association with specific microhabitats (Manning, Cunningham & Lindenmayer, ; Triska et al ., ; Michael et al ., ), and are undergoing severe declines in agricultural landscapes worldwide (Gibbons et al ., ; Thompson, Nowakowski & Donnelly, ). The orientation and movement decisions of reptile species in response to particular landscape features is likely to have profound impacts on conservation strategies aimed at mitigating the impacts of fragmentation for reptiles, such as restoration of farmland through linear plantings, or the protection of core remnant habitat.…”

Livestock grazing to maintain habitat of a critically endangered grassland bird: Is grazer species important?

“…If this trend continues, land managers who rely on availability of local livestock to graze conservation reserves, such as those in the study region, may be forced to make such switches. Similar transitions between different types of grazers have occurred in other grassy biomes with mixed outcomes for biodiversity (Michael et al, 2018;Schmitz & Isselstein, 2020;Sliwinski et al, 2020). Addressing the question of what ecological implications may flow from grazer regime shifts in native grasslands of Australia should be a priority for research.…”